Podcasts about tchaikovsky's symphony no

The fourth in a series of five special episodes takes a close look at Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. This powerfully dramatic work was partly inspired by Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony... and partly by one particularly tumultuous year in Tchaikovsky’s own turbulent life. Fortunately, he endured his troubles with the help of one remarkable woman, to whom music-lovers everywhere are forever indebted.

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2 bridged the divide between East and West in Russian music; that may have been the reason it was the only one of his works that he was really satisfied with.

Perpetually self-conscious, Tchaikovsky worried in spring 1888 that his imagination had dried up, and that he had nothing left to express through music. Vacationing at his home in Frolovskoe provided all the inspiration he needed, and by August, his Symphony No. 5 was complete.

Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony, written in 1888, is a work which arouses hugely divergent opinions. Many people love it dearly, and the famous horn solo in the second movement is often cited as an example of how to write a beautiful melody. Many others can't stand it, finding it over-emotional, over-sentimental, and repetitive. What gives? Tchaikovsky's fifth is one of the standard works of the repertoire, a core symphony which is played regularly all over the world. But maybe familiarity has bred contempt. For me, ABC Classic FM's Graham Abbott, writing this program forced me to confront a work I had avoided for years. I love the fourth and sixth but confess I have for most of my life found the fifth hard to take seriously. During this process I have come to see it afresh and, I'm happy to say, have started to love it again. My time away from it (I haven't listened to it for more years than I can remember) has helped me grow up and to take its "message" (whatever that is) seriously. In this program I'll take you on a guided tour of Tchaikovsky's fifth, using the 2007 live recording featuring the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Oleg Caetani.

Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony ranks as one of the most popular symphonies ever written. It must also rank as one of the most misunderstood symphonies ever written. It has been common practice for more than a century (it was written in the 1870s) to regard the fourth as growing out Tchaikovsky's supposed self-loathing after his marriage and subsequent attempted suicide. This homophobic and inaccurate scenario was put forward during the Soviet era when much documentary evidence was out of reach of western scholars. Post-glasnost research has indicated quite a different turn of events entirely. In this podcast, we explore this controversy and of course look at Tchaikovsky's glorious and innovative music. The piece is so well-known we sometimes forget how ground-breaking it is, from the unique use of sonata form in the first movement to the pizzicato ostinato of the third. It's a symphony which deserves its fame.

Marina Frolova-Walker recommends a recording of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 6, 'Pathétique'

Learn the daring and defiant history of Tchaikovsky's 'Symphony No 5', which will be performed by piano sensation Yuja Wang with the San Francisco Symphony at the Usher Hall on Friday 28 August.

Berlin Philharmonic principal bassoonist Stefan Schweigert coaches Samuel Banks on Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Select members of the Berlin Philharmonic woodwind and brass sections led two days of master classes focusing on orchestral repertoire and audition preparation. Participating young artists attended panel discussions with the master class leaders and heard the Berlin Philharmonic in performance, led by Sir Simon Rattle, at Carnegie Hall.

Carnegie Hall's Director of Artistic Planning Jeremy Geffen reveals the background to and importance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique."